I read all of the recipe names from this in my head with an exaggerated southern accent and it was very entertaining. :) The ones with "pie" in them were the most fun. I felt like Flo on the show Alice!

I read all of the recipe names from this in my head with an exaggerated southern accent and it was very entertaining. :) The ones with "pie" in them were the most fun. I felt like Flo on the show Alice!

yay, it's a fun cookbook! seeing the recent post on tami's (AVK and vegan sandwiches) blog and also from the week of "crunk" posts on bianca's blog has inspired me to open this cookbook back up and try more stuff! bianca posted such awesome photos of recipes from her book!

_________________"....but I finally found block tempeh a few weeks ago with the intent to give it my virginity." -Moon

Everything I've made so far in this book has been so good, and I keep forgetting to post about it! My fiance described the white bean and collard soup as restaurant quality good. Fried tofu chicken? Awesome. Baked tofu ham? Awesome.

Last night I made the cream of celery soup - the first time I've ever had it - and liked that a lot. Next I want to make the cornbread dressing. I don't even understand how a thing called dressing can be a casserole, but it sounds delicious. The only casserole I ever had growing up was tuna and I hated it, so I welcome this world of good casseroles!

_________________"I feel like it's not a real political discussion if I'm not morally opposed to something I don't understand." - ndpittman

I made the cajun boiled peanuts, and I was kinda disappointed. One of my favorite things in life is a paper bag of boiled peanuts from a roadside stand, so that's my bar. These were overcooked at 11 hours (instructions say to cook for 12), and were pretty flavorless. I'll try it again, but with more seasonings and a more closely monitored cooking time. I am pretty stoked that I can make them in my slow cooker, though, because I never would have thought to do that otherwise.

I also made the squash casserole, which was delicious! I need to find an unsweetened soy milk that's less sweet than Silk, though.

_________________Ridiculous people on the internet are consistently ridiculous. -pandacookie

try eden plain soy milk, it's definitely unsweetened and to me taste's not so great on its own, but when i've it in dishes that specifically call for unsweetened plain soy milk, it has worked beautifully and the dish was super tasty.

_________________"....but I finally found block tempeh a few weeks ago with the intent to give it my virginity." -Moon

My first venue into this book was my semi-meh experience with the No-tell Ro*tel Dip last night. It was ... ok. Better as a leftover today, but still kinda take it or leave it. I've never had the "real thing", but I have had many concoctions of Velveeta throughout my childhood, and this did not remind me of Velveeta in any way. I found the tomatoes really overpowering, and the tofu just took on that flavor, with a hint of nooch in the background. I even added more nooch, and some additional seasonings to perk it up, but it was not a star for me. Perhaps I'm so enthralled with the Cashew Queso from the PPK blog, that nothing can quite measure up...

However, I was drawn back to the book today, and made the Memphis BBQ Sauce with the Pulled Tempeh/Carrot Sandwiches and the Poppy Seed Slaw. I served my Pulled Tempeh/Carrot mixture on a plate next to the slaw and a noochy baked potato, rather than in sandwich format (on the gluten-free train for a bit to support my teenager).

Wow, that sauce REALLY makes the dish! I didn't have molasses, so used agave and some extra maple syrup instead. It didn't thicken much, but the flavor is AWESOME, and I spooned a bunch onto the tempeh to allow it to caramelize a bit and still remain saucy. WOW. sporking it onto my plate, I could have sworn those carrot shreds WERE pulled pork strings! Chewing it, however, the tempeh reminds me more of amazing baked beans than pulled pork-ish fare. I'm thinking that adding some sliced/slivered soy curls to this would really send it over the edge. Next time!

The slaw is super yummy and simple. I happen to love coleslaw's inherent sweet/tangy contrast, so after mixing up and tasting the recipe (using Vegan Epicurean's homemade mayo), I decided to add in a few tsp of white wine vinegar, a little bit of celery seed, and a handful of leftover scallions. The combination of both the pulled tempeh and the slaw is *really* superb! I'm eyeing it for next time the extended family decides to have bbq ribs... I think - by adding soy curls - I could seriously make this alone for company.

It all came together really fast - even the homemade mayo - on a hot evening, where I really didn't want to be in the kitchen. Finger-licking bbq-y good, something I have not experienced since I took the vegan leap last September. Not just a "that was good" meal, but one where I sigh between bites, because the plate is just a really great and enjoyable experience!

Excited to cook more from this book! I love her stories and her blog, and the recipes seem super accessible and straightforward.

I had a bunch of sad-looking celery that I was able to resuscitate into this recipe, doubled to use up extra potatoes. I replaced my onion with sliced leeks that were nearing their end of use.

After pureeing (to which I also added a tbsp of white miso for some additional flavor and depth), I returned to low heat to simmer, then dropped in a chopped bunch of curly kale and 1/2 bag of rehydrated soy curls - both of which made it into a solid, chewy, texture-filled meal. Omni husband ADORED and had seconds (which he seldom does).

The flavor is so celery-y, but with the warmth of the pepper and other background spices. I'm really excited to try it as a component of another recipe (as she suggests), but for now, it stood on its own (with those few mix-ins) as a great meal I will definitely repeat when the weather turns cooler.

Last night I made the cream of celery soup - the first time I've ever had it - and liked that a lot.

Amen on the celery soup, and great news on the fried tofu chicken! I have omni guests arriving on Friday, and I'm trying to figure out what I can get away with as far as vegan food that might not need an omni alternative on the buffet...Decisions!

I am buying this book just for the pimento cheese. I've been craving it lately but wasn't sure I would be able to veganize it on my own. Super excited!

Made some Pimiento Cheese to be scooped up with some accidentally-vegan Ritz today. It is certainly deeply flavored and declicious, although not exactly "cheesy", despite an extra few tbsp of nooch I added. My daughter, who despises cheese except on pizza, said "Yum", and that it didn't taste like cheese at all, "thank goodness!". LOL

With the tahini and lemon and chickpeas and roasted red pepper, it more reminded me of a fresh, fabulous and mild hummus more than a cheese spread. Will definitely make again, and I think it would be great to serve with apps for omni guests.

Everything I've made so far in this book has been so good, and I keep forgetting to post about it! My fiance described the white bean and collard soup as restaurant quality good. Fried tofu chicken? Awesome.

Ack, I couldn't remember which of the collard recipes was acclaimed on the boards, so I went with just the Mess o' Greens (no turnips in the house, and I'd had soup just the other day - not exactly soup weather here in CA!).

I let the greens cook patiently, as she instructs. I then did a quick fry on some pressed tofu pieces, after dredging them in a rice flour/nooch/creole seasoning mix, to serve alongside. Tying it all together was a quick gravy I made out of the "pot likker" cooking fluid from the greens (using the liquid + nooch, rice flour, a bit of mustard, tbsp of EB, salt/pepper, and a small spoon of Marmite, which tastes pretty much like No-Beef Base Better n' Bouillon, IMO).

Omni husband and kids all loved the tofu with that "pot likker" gravy (my 17-year-old boy thought it tofu tasted like chiccharones - and it kinda does, with the smoky gravy resulting from the greens' cooking liquid). I adored the combination of both: a nice forkful of tofu and greens, rolled in a creamy gravy. Really impressive how the greens stand up to the long cooking process, still with great texture. I guess I've been eating way too much kale lately! Gotta diversify.

With the tahini and lemon and chickpeas and roasted red pepper, it more reminded me of a fresh, fabulous and mild hummus more than a cheese spread. Will definitely make again, and I think it would be great to serve with apps for omni guests.

Saw my post and remembered that I recently did make this for a visiting omni houseguest: my MIL! Served it as a before-dinner snack, with celery sticks, pita chips, and some lemon-dressed jicama spears - and she LOVED it. So darn good (but again, much more like a hummus to me than a cheese).

I read all of the recipe names from this in my head with an exaggerated southern accent and it was very entertaining. :) The ones with "pie" in them were the most fun. I felt like Flo on the show Alice!

Ever since I read this post, I've found myself doing the same thing! Ha ha

Today while searching the ebook for a pancake recipe I fell on "sweet potato lasagne pancakes". I went WHAAAT? And I clicked the link, but it simply lead to the juxtaposition in the index of "sweet potato", "lasagne" and "pancakes"... but now I kind of want sweet potato lasagne pancakes to exist...

I made the sandwich with marinated tofu and fried green tomatoes a few weeks ago, it was yum.

Cooking through this is one of my newish projects. I used a lot of days during MoFo to make stuff, so there's a bunch on my blog. I can't remember everything, but I've made the cheese sauce, cheesy burger mac, biscuits and gravy, cinnamon waffles (as pancakes), tahini sauce, sweet potato hash, corn casserole, unfried corn, mess o' greens, cornbread, hush puppy muffins, caramelized cabbage, and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember. Oh, and yella cake.

I seriously love this cookbook. It's definitely my favourite non-Isa book, and I might even go so far as to say it's my favourite cookbook.

_________________A pie eating contest is a battle with no losers. - amandabear

I've always had trouble eating turnip & mustard greens, just because they're usually so bitter. I was disappointed to get turnip greens in our CSA, but we cooked them "mess o'greens" style, and they were actually really good, not just edible.

It sounds boring, but I made the Cream of Mushroom Soup from the book and it was a nice, solid recipe. We did not eat it straight; we turned it into two different casseroles. One was from Vegan Crunk; I want to say it was the Tofu Chicken and Pasta Bake. Yeah, that was it. It was like two weeks ago, but I kept forgetting to comment. Anyway, it turned out really good! I don't even usually like casseroles, but I think it's cuz cream of mushroom from a can always terrified me. Now I don't have to be scared anymore!